America is a rock band, most popular in the early and mid 1970s and now bes… Read Full Bio ↴America is a rock band, most popular in the early and mid 1970s and now best known for their #1 hits "A Horse With No Name" and "Sister Golden Hair." Comprised of Gerry Beckley (September 12, 1952 - ), Dewey Bunnell (January 19,1952 - ), and Dan Peek (November 1, 1950 - July 24, 2011), they were seldom a favorite with critics, but were exceptionally successful commercially selling both singles and albums. Despite the presence of other heavyweight acts like James Taylor and Rod Stewart on their roster, America was Warner Brothers Records' biggest selling act of the 1970s.

Sons of American fathers and British mothers, their fathers being military personnel stationed at the West Ruislip USAF base in London, all three attended London Central High in Bushey, Hertfordshire in the mid-60s where they met while playing in two different bands.

They eventually got together and formed the rock band America, honoring the name of the homeland they had hardly even seen during their several travels around the world. They played their first gigs in pubs and clubs in the London area, including some highlights at the Roundhouse, where Pink Floyd had been playing at the beginning of their own career.

Their first LP was recorded at Trident and Morgan studios in London and produced by Ian "Sammy" Samwell, who was known for the hits he had written for Cliff Richard, with the assistance of Jeff Dexter.

The album was initially released in Europe with only moderate success and without the breakout hit "A Horse With No Name." Samwell helped the group to record and persuaded the Warner Brothers label to release the new song on an EP which was highly popular in the United States as well as in Europe.

America the album was re-released with "Horse", and quickly went platinum with the other favorites "I Need You," "Sandman," and "Riverside." Their second album, appropriately named Homecoming, saw the band moving back to the United States to record. The most notable song was "Ventura Highway."

The group's fourth album Holiday had them with George Martin (former producer for The Beatles), who worked with them through Silent Letter in 1979 with much success. The next album, Hearts, featured "Sister Golden Hair" and "Daisy Jane."

Peek left the group after recording Harbor in 1977. The remaining duo produced many more albums and had one more significant radio hit, "You Can Do Magic," reaching #8 on the pop charts in 1982. Their last top-40 hit was "The Border," which went to #33 on the pop charts (and #4 on the adult contemporary charts) the next year.

America continued with consistent live work and sporadic recordings following their departure from Capitol Records in the mid-80s.

In 1982 America provided the soundtrack for the magical anime film The Last Unicorn. Although officially produced by an American company, the film is an important transitional work in the development of Japanese anime, since most of its animation was subcontracted to the Japanese company Topcraft. The music was composed by Jimmy Webb, though performed by America, and the title song was covered many times later on. The tone is wistful and the themes are of loss.

Beckley released a solo set - "Van Go Gan" - in 1999.

Later, in his post-America career, Peek became a born-again Christian and released some highly-successful Contemporary Christian albums. His autobiography "An American Band" chronicles America's most successful period and his own spiritual journey.

Members include:
Gerry Beckley (1970-present) - lead and backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, harmonica
Dewey Bunnell (1970-present) - lead and backing vocals, guitars
Dan Peek (1970-1977) - lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, harmonica

Pigeon Song
America Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, I had me a pigeon
By the name of Fred
But I done shot him
In the head

Had me a railroad
Down on the ridge
But I done blowed up

The bridge

Had me a dog
He was my best friend
But to him
I done put an end

Had me a farm
Sittin' pretty on the hill
But if you look
You'll see it ain't there still

I don't know why I done it
Honest, it ain't like me

But I ain't sad now I done it
Cause a baby boy has got to be free

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Pigeon Song" by America tell the story of a man who has lost everything he cares about. The song is sung in a casual tone that suggests that the man may not even regret his actions. He had a pet pigeon named Fred that he ends up shooting in the head. He also had a railroad, but he ends up destroying the bridge. He had a dog who was his best friend, but he put an end to him as well. In addition, he had a farm that was sitting pretty on a hill, but it is no longer there. The song concludes with the man saying that he doesn't know why he did all of these things, but he's not sad he did because a "baby boy has got to be free."

The lyrics are a metaphor for the man's life. He had everything he wanted, but he gave in to his darker impulses and destroyed it all. He laments the loss of his possessions, but he seems unconcerned about the consequences of his actions. In the end, he justifies what he did by saying that he did it to be free.

Overall, "Pigeon Song" by America is a cautionary tale about giving in to one's darker impulses and the loss it can cause. It encourages listeners to think about the consequences of their actions and the impact they can have on others.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I had me a pigeon
I once had a pet pigeon

By the name of Fred
I named him Fred

But I done shot him
I killed him by shooting him

In the head
I shot him in the head

Had me a railroad
I owned a railroad

Down on the ridge
It was located on a ridge

But I done blowed up
I blew it up

The bridge
Specifically, I blew up the bridge on the railroad

Had me a dog
I had a pet dog

He was my best friend
The dog was my closest companion

But to him
Unfortunately, to the dog